The match had officially ended. Han Wu and Qin Shuang found themselves surrounded by their juniors, who bombarded them with questions. Many sought advice or solutions for the challenges they faced while training their own units.
Han Wu answered each question patiently. A few of the bolder female juniors even asked if he already had a girlfriend. Qin Shuang, clearly feeling the pressure from the younger girls, grabbed Han Wu’s arm to signal that he was taken.
Han Wu chuckled softly and glanced at her. The female juniors pouted in disappointment. Meanwhile, the male juniors chatted happily among themselves, and Han Wu couldn’t help but eavesdrop.
“See that? Even the ladies chase after a guy as long as he’s strong.”
“I heard Senior Han was bullied back in school. His homeroom teacher looked down on him, and he nearly got expelled. He only started his journey of revenge once he got his divine realm. There’s still time for us to change our fate.”
“Someone told me his family’s dirt poor...”
Han Wu frowned as he caught their words. In this age of easy access to information, hiding one’s past was nearly impossible. He hadn’t expected his juniors to dig up so much about him so quickly. He even suspected the story of his bullying would soon spread throughout the school, exaggerated with sayings like, “Fortune changes with time. Never underestimate a poor young man.”
Embarrassment threatened to overwhelm him as he stood surrounded by his juniors. Just then, Tian Wen rushed over to rescue him. “Han Wu, Qin Shuang, Ms. Xu wants to see you. She’s waiting as the representative of the school’s management board.”
The two followed Tian Wen to the meeting room, where Xu Mei and the other senior managers awaited. Warm smiles greeted them as they entered.
Xu Mei let out a heartfelt sigh. “Han Wu, Qin Shuang, the two of you are the finest students our school has ever produced. It’s been our honor to teach you.”
Han Wu chuckled. “You’re mistaken. I should be the one thanking you. Without your guidance, I wouldn’t have graduated. We’ve come not only to visit but also to resources, hoping the school can use them to nurture future students.”
Han Wu had made up his mind before arriving. His divine realm now contained numerous units that generated a steady flow of Faith Points. He was eager to share some of these to help his juniors grow.
Besides, his many trades and businesses within the divine realm produced resources he did not need. Donating these to the school was his way of expressing gratitude for all it had done for him. Qin Shuang followed suit, offering some of her own resources and treasures to support their juniors.
The school’s management deeply appreciated their generosity. After some discussion, they established a new fund named the Han Wu Scholarship. Han Wu chose not to participate in allocating the funds, trusting that the teachers and administration would distribute them fairly.
At their departure, Tian Wen personally saw them off. Along the way, he cheered for Han Wu and shared that he would soon ascend and become a God. Once he did, he would be appointed as the new deputy headmaster and dispatched to the Demonic Civilization to support the headmaster in the war effort.
It would be difficult for the student and teacher to meet again once that happened. Han Wu felt a pang of sadness because Tian Wen would leave for such a distant place, but he understood this was Tian Wen’s dream. As his student, all he could do was wish him well.
After leaving the school, Han Wu returned to his old home for the night. He only went back to Imperial College the next day.
Over the following days, Han Wu devoted himself to nurturing his units whenever possible. During breaks, he chatted with Qin Shuang and Sun Qingnian or sought out Xiang Meng, Xia Tian, and Ye Ling to gather more information about the upcoming wargames.
Time passed, and the final night before the wargames arrived. Han Wu studied the Skull Guillotine with anticipation. He had just fed it a large quantity of refined Black Stones, which he had crafted by processing every black crystal he’d gathered in the Warring Kingdom Civilization through his Refinery.
The Skull Guillotine was finishing the absorption of the energy contained within the stones. Minutes slipped by until midnight struck. As the last of the energy was absorbed, the Skull Guillotine finally lit up. Its power had risen again. It could now mark 50% of Han Wu’s opponents for death. That was the upper limit of the power granted by his Destruction Aspect. With this, Han Wu completed the awakening of his Destruction Aspect.
He now possessed three fully completed Divine Aspects: Defiance, Destruction, and War. Together, they dramatically enhanced his strength and propelled him one step closer into becoming a God.
Morning came swiftly, and Han Wu received a call from Saliya, summoning him to the teleporter at Imperial College. Upon arrival, he found a crowd of elites from every year already waiting. Thirty students from the fourth year, twenty from the third, and nine from the second had gathered. Han Wu was the only first-year student present.
Among the second-years, Han Wu spotted familiar faces, such as his friendly seniors Xiang Meng, Xia Tian, and Ye Ling. He also saw his enemy, Huang Shengjun, the valedictorian of the second years.
He didn’t recognize anyone from the third or fourth years. Most of them were usually stationed at warfronts across various foreign civilizations throughout the year. Even so, Han Wu could clearly sense the presence of Gods among them—and there were many. They had all ascended before graduation, and the word genius barely captured their level. Han Wu reminded himself yet again to work hard and close the gap between him and his seniors.
Once everyone had gathered, the professor in charge of teleportation initiated the activation sequence.
Suddenly, Han Wu saw a flash and found himself floating high above an empty space. Below him lay a massive piece of land, divided into a grid that resembled a chessboard, with alternating black and white squares.
The professor in charge slowly explained, “This is the site of the wargames. It’s called the Life and Death Match.”
The name startled Han Wu. It sounded too serious, but then again, this was a wargame fought in the name of the God King of Life and the God King of Death. A name like that made sense.
The professor continued the explanation. Each student would choose a God King to represent, though not all would end up on their preferred side. A fairness mechanism maintained balance between the two factions. If one side gathered an overwhelming majority, some representatives would be transferred to the opposing faction until both sides balanced equally. Ultimately, luck would decide which side each student represented.
Soon, the students began selecting their factions. Han Wu longed for the Death Aspect held by the God King of Death, but sensing his powers leaned toward Life, he chose the God King of Life. Many others made the same choice. In the end, forty-two out of sixty students sided with the God King of Life. The imbalance was severe, triggering the fairness mechanism.
Han Wu didn’t know whether to feel fortunate or not, but he was reassigned to the God King of Death. Once the numbers were balanced, the students were transported to the battlefield below to start the wargame.
He blinked and found himself on solid ground. His starting zone was a flat, black square stretching across roughly 10,000 square kilometers. This was his starting point, and his mission was to build towers to defend it.
He was still trying to grasp the rules when a glowing interface appeared before him, listing the types of towers available for construction.